Julian Fellowes, the creator of Brit hit and Stateside phenomenon "Downton Abbey," is bringing his next series to NBC. "The Gilded Age" will examine those who made their fortunes in late 19th century New York. Said Fellowes: "This was a vivid time, with dizzying, brilliant ascents and calamitous falls, of record-breaking ostentation and savage rivalry; a time when money was king." Fellowes will continue his work on "Downton Abbey,"...

"Zombieland" and "Gangster Squad" director Ruben Fleischer has signed a two-year overall deal at Universal Television that will allow him to create and develop new drama and comedy programming for both network and cable as well as executive produce -- and occasionally direct -- other scripted projects. Fleischer also announced the formation of his new production company, The District, and has brought on RipCord Productions' David Bernad as a producing...

Louis N. Friedland, a retired broadcast executive who played a prominent role in the development of syndicated television programming, has died at 92 in Great Neck, N.Y. His death June 29 after a short illness was announced by his family. Mr. Friedland retired in 1986 as chairman of MCA-TV, which he helped build into a principal source of syndicated programs. MCA-TV and a sister company, Universal Television, were pioneers in the creation and distribution of syndicated programs, like serialized...

" 30 Rock " scribes Dylan Morgan and Josh Siegel have inked an overall deal with Universal TV. Pair are set to develop comedy projects for the studio. "As their outstanding work on '30 Rock' proves, Dylan and Josh are terrific, bright comedy writers," said Universal TV exec VP Bela Bajaria. "We're very much looking forward to having them work on new series and developing new material for us at Universal TV. " Morgan and Siegel are coming off an overall deal...

- I've heard that Mandy Patinkin is leaving "Chicago Hope." Is that true? Not as of press time, though some accommodations reportedly are being made to keep the performer happier. His prime concern in making waves about possibly departing the CBS medical drama was that he wasn't able to see enough of his family; they're based in New York, and despite the Chicago setting of the series, it's filmed in Los Angeles ... which has necessitated Patinkin's presence on the West...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. TV network NBC will air another live performance of a Broadway musical, "Peter Pan," on December 4, hoping to repeat the ratings success of last year's broadcast of "The Sound of Music Live. " The musicals are part of the Comcast-owned network's strategy to draw audiences to live events, a defense against later viewing on digital video recorders which is less valuable to advertisers. NBC also will air a new miniseries called "The...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. TV network NBC will air another live performance of a Broadway musical, "Peter Pan," on December 4, hoping to repeat the ratings success of last year's broadcast of "The Sound of Music Live. " The musicals are part of the Comcast-owned network's strategy to draw audiences to live events, a defense against later viewing on digital video recorders which is less valuable to advertisers. NBC also will air a new miniseries called "The...

Michael Schur has inked a multi-year deal with Universal TV that extends his pact with the studio through 2016. Schur currently pens and exec produces the Peacock's "Parks and Rec" and Fox's forthcoming comedy "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," both of which hail from Universal TV. Deal extension follows Schur signing a two-year overall with Universal TV last summer. "Mike is a wildly talented writer and, hands-down, one of the best showrunners in the business," said Universal TV executive...

Michael Schur has inked a multi-year deal with Universal TV that extends his pact with the studio through 2016. Schur currently pens and exec produces the Peacock's "Parks and Rec" and Fox's forthcoming comedy "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," both of which hail from Universal TV. Deal extension follows Schur signing a two-year overall with Universal TV last summer. "Mike is a wildly talented writer and, hands-down, one of the best showrunners in the business," said Universal TV executive...

After a major network bidding war, Tina Fey and Matt Hubbard's untitled comedy has landed at Fox with a series commitment. The multi-cam laffer is set at a women's college that, for the first time in its history, begins accepting men. Comedy marks a re-teaming for "30 Rock" producing alums, as Fey, Hubbard, Robert Carlock and David Miner are all on board to exec produce after their critically-acclaimed Peacock laffer came to a...

Producer Will Packer has signed his first overall TV deal, inking a two-year pact with Universal TV to develop projects for the studio. "We are excited to work with Will," said Bela Bajaria, exec veep of Universal TV. "We have been impressed by his keen eye on the feature side with the several hit movies he's produced. We are looking forward to bringing his enthusiasm and expertise into television." Packer's feature film credits include producing "Think Like a Man," "Takers," "Obsessed"...

Anne Heche has signed a multi-year first-look producing deal with Universal TV. Pact includes an acting component, allowing Heche to not only produce but also star in projects from the studio that are brought to NBC or outside nets. "Anne has proven, time and again, to be both a wonderfully gifted actor and a hard-working producer with fantastic taste. We're looking forward to working together on all fronts," said Jennifer Salke, prez of NBC Entertainment. ...

"Zombieland" and "Gangster Squad" director Ruben Fleischer has signed a two-year overall deal at Universal Television that will allow him to create and develop new drama and comedy programming for both network and cable as well as executive produce -- and occasionally direct -- other scripted projects. Fleischer also announced the formation of his new production company, The District, and has brought on RipCord Productions' David Bernad as a producing...

Producer Will Packer has signed his first overall TV deal, inking a two-year pact with Universal TV to develop projects for the studio. "We are excited to work with Will," said Bela Bajaria, exec veep of Universal TV. "We have been impressed by his keen eye on the feature side with the several hit movies he's produced. We are looking forward to bringing his enthusiasm and expertise into television." Packer's feature film credits include producing "Think Like a Man," "Takers," "Obsessed"...

Josh Friedman has inked a two-year overall deal with Universal TV, and will serve as a co-exec producer on NBC's pirate drama "Crossbones" as a part of the deal. Friedman recently was under an overall at 20th Century TV, and is a sought-after showrunner in the drama space. Under his deal with Universal TV, he will develop and supervise projects for the studio. Friedman created and exec produced "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," and has penned and produced pilots...

" 30 Rock " scribes Dylan Morgan and Josh Siegel have inked an overall deal with Universal TV. Pair are set to develop comedy projects for the studio. "As their outstanding work on '30 Rock' proves, Dylan and Josh are terrific, bright comedy writers," said Universal TV exec VP Bela Bajaria. "We're very much looking forward to having them work on new series and developing new material for us at Universal TV. " Morgan and Siegel are coming off an overall deal...